You rise up to the occasion because it matters. How you treat the difficult moments in life and the people you encounter is paramount. And though you might want to hide or run away you have to show up. To take ownership. To be present in spite of the fear. You get through. But...
Continue readingIt’s Hard To Think
I’ve joined the Bootstrapper’s Workshop by Seth Godin. It’s an online community of people seeking answers, inspiration, and clarity. It’s also a place where people can share ideas and get constructive feedback and start conversations. For me it’s an opportunity to learn to think again. I’ve been stuck. I’ve written about this before and...
Continue readingTelling Stories
I used to make flip books as a kid. Stick figures riding skate boards and doing jumps. Going up and down a ramp. Falling and getting back up. Sometimes I’d even have some words scroll across the top. They were so fun to make. Just a simple entertaining animation. I also wrote poetry. I...
Continue readingSuckage
We’ve all been there. The shit hits the fan. Job. Family. Parenting. All signs pointing directly back to you. I’ve been here countless times. It has never paid off to wallow. Being fierce. Owning your failures. Working smarter. Deciding to be determined to get things done right. Listening when someone gives you good honest...
Continue readingScrap It. Start Again.
Lots of what I write isn’t worth posting. Verbose. Meandering. Nonsense. I’ve written three different posts tonight and scrapped each one. But I still did what I set out to do. I wrote today. So much of what I’m working towards with this project is to clarify my own thinking. So even if I...
Continue readingBrilliant Is Overrated
Because trying to be brilliant takes the focus away from trying to be good. And being good is where you start. Being good means you know your job and you can consistently get it done. We focus too much on the next step or the promo or the greener grass. And we miss the...
Continue readingLong Night
Sometimes you just have to celebrate that you made it through. Forget the battle. Forget the headaches. Forget the fatigue. And be glad it’s not worse. You’re all safe and sound. All in warm beds with fluffy pillows and blankets. The sound of the rain outside cloaking the night in a comforting pitter patter....
Continue readingGuiding Light
It’s not always necessary to know exactly where you’re going. Sometimes not knowing leads to unexpected delights and discoveries. Sometimes you set out trying to go one place and you realize you wanted to go somewhere else all along. It took the journey to get you there. But a guiding light helps to keep...
Continue readingHidden Gems
Sign up for that workshop. Attend that panel discussion. Moderate a fireside chat. Email someone you find interesting. Start conversations. There are so many opportunities to find inspiration. So many chances to see your work from a different perspective. Simply by showing up, listening, observing, or engaging. If your work matters to you seize...
Continue readingStill Searching
I attended the Pair Camp at the University of Washington in 2002. I had only been rowing about a year and a half and my coach suggested that I attend to get some more experience. It was the last camp that Jan Harville coached (how incredibly lucky was I?) and I can still hear...
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